Twelveth Sunday After Pentecost The Gospel Luc. 10. v. 23. Monday Meditation: A Plaine Path-way To Heaven Thomas Hill 1634

WYNANTS, Jan 
Parable of the Good Samaritan 
1670

GOSPEL Luke 10:23-37 
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: "Blessed are the eyes that see the things which you see. For I say to you that many prophets and kings have desired to see the things that you see and have not seen them; and to hear the things that you hear and have not heard them." And behold a certain lawyer stood up, tempting him and saying, "Master, what must I do to possess eternal life?" But he said to him: "What is written in the law? How readest thou?" He answering, said: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and with all thy strength and with all thy mind: and thy neighbour as thyself." And he said to him: "Thou hast answered right. This do: and thou shalt live." But he willing to justify himself, said to Jesus: "And who is my neighbour?" And Jesus answering, said: "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among robbers, who also stripped him and having wounded him went away, leaving him half dead. And it chanced, that a certain priest went down the same way: and seeing him, passed by. In like manner also a Levite, when he was near the place and saw him, passed by. But a certain Samaritan, being on his journey, came near him: and seeing him, was moved with compassion: And going up to him, bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine: and setting him upon his own beast, brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two pence and gave to the host and said: 'Take care of him; and whatsoever thou shalt spend over and above, I, at my return, will repay thee.' "Which of these three, in thy opinion, was neighbour to him that fell among the robbers?" But he said: "He that shewed mercy to him." And Jesus said to him: "Go, and do thou in like manner."

Monday Meditation

The thing for which Christ praised the disciples,and pronounced their eyes to be happy , was not only in that they were so happy, as to see Christ in his Humility with their corporal eyes, which yet many Kings and Prophets, a long time before for many ages had desired to see, he being the promised Messiahs and Savior of mankind, even from that very time, that Adam & Eve eat of the forbidden fruit in Paradise, when God promised mankind this blessing, that the seed of the woman should break the serpents head, which was performed in Christ, he being therefore called in Scripture, The desired one of all Nations, that is to say, he whom all the generations of the faithful in the old Law did most ardently desire.

The disciples eyes (I say) were not blessed, because they saw this Messiahs with their corporal eyes, but because they saw him also with the eyes of their faith; believing him to be the Messiahs & Savior of the world, which few else did besides,and believing in him loved him,and loving him kept his command.

This was their happiness and yet greater may ours be, if we believe in him, and keep his commandments without seeing him in flesh, as Christ testified to St.Thomas in the Gospel saying: Thomas, thou believest in me, because thou seest me; blessed be they that is to say, more blessed be they, that believe in me, and see me not.

And by these words (blessed be the eyes that see those things which you see &c.) Christ did not only pronounce them blessed, but he taught them, and us in them, a lesson of acknowledging themselves blessed,and to give God due thanks for it, speaking the words himself first, that we should say them after him, as a School master sayeth A, B, C first himself, that his scholar should say after him.

Our lesson therefore is to say after Christ:blessed be our eyes that see Christ after this fashion as we do, and more blessed then the disciples themselves, if we love him and keep his commandments as they did, & be thankful as they were for so great a benefit, of which the Meditation following shall treat.


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